*NOTE: Scientific AmeriKen does not endorse the unethical treatment of animals. To the knowledge of this website no mice were harmed during the experiment.

Purpose: The ability of Homing pigeons to return
to the place whence they came has long intrigued science. Other animals
are said to possess this trait coming from stories of dogs which travel
thousands of miles to return 'home'. This week Scientific AmeriKen
will investigate to see if common house mice possess this ability.

Hypothesis: Based on the limited mental capacities
of mice, the hypothesis of this experiment is that the mice will become
lost and will find new homes.

Equipment: Required for this experiment is
several mice (may need mousetraps) and some way of marking the mice, used
in this experiment was non-toxic orange acrylic paint.

Procedure:The first step was capturing
mice. Once mice are caught, they are marked and released at a certain point
away from original location. Traps should be left around the original location
to capture returning mice. Map indicates relative locations.

Results:

Mice Released

Mice returned Home

5

0

Conclusion:As the hypothesis predicted,
the mice did not return home. The hypothesis cannot be confirmed however,
until the mice are known dead, a time period which is assumed to be the
average lifespan of a common house mouse. However, the mice have been given
roughly 4 months to return back of which none have. In their defense however,
the orange paint used for marking them may have made them more suceptible
to predetory attacks, and therefore may have hampered the results.